When police arrived at the home Friday night, they were responding to a report of a drowning, RTV6's Jeremy Brilliant reported.

"Deputies quickly observed that the man appeared to be brutally attacked before his death," Morgan County detective Dan Downing said. "At that point, other investigators were called in."

Boyd Fiscus, 83, had multiple bite marks all over his body. Police said four dogs, owned by a neighbor, mauled him to death.

"It was definitely the most violent crime scene that I have seen as of yet," Downing said.

According to police, the dogs were an American bulldog, a Johnson bulldog, a neapolitan mastiff and a border collie. Officials said Fiscus knew the dogs and had even fed them in the past.

Police say dogs like these were involved in the attack.

"He petted them quite often. We're not really sure what happened or what provoked this event, or even if it was provoked," Downing said.

Fiscus' neighbor, Jim Baker, said Fiscus was a friendly man in good health. He spent hours each day doing yard work.

"I thought he probably had a heart attack or something because he works hard," Baker said. "I'm not surprised, but I didn't think they (the dogs) were that mean. You see the same dogs around quite a bit."

Police think the same dogs may have been involved in another attack against a child more than a year ago.

"The investigation has led us to a 12-year-old girl that was bitten by a group of dogs," Downing said. "We're still trying to make sure this was the same group of dogs."

So far, criminal charges have not been filed, but the investigation is ongoing.

If police do file charges, they could range from misdemeanor counts for allowing animals to stray to more serious felony reckless homicide charges.

All four dogs involved in the attack will be destroyed at the owner's request.

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July 2, 2005: Police: Man Killed In Dog Attack
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Wow, a pack of dogs. That's so sad. It upsets me that the owner didn't have them under control. They could be the nicest dogs in the world, but, put them in a pack like that.......I hope they weren't destroyed unneccesarily.

The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world. - Dr. Paul Farmer

The scary thing is that they knew the guy...he's fed them and let them out before. Actually I'm glad that they destroyed the dogs. In readlity would anyone actually want a dog that had participated in a fatal mauling?

Re: Re: Fatal Dog Mauling...NOT Pit Bulls

Originally posted by cocker_luva it is always provoked. dogs dont just attack for no reason.

Exactly. The provokation could have been something as simple as one of the dogs wanting to be petted before the other and boom, the man is in the middle of a dog fight. Wonder what the reproductive status of the dogs were?

Re: Re: Re: Fatal Dog Mauling...NOT Pit Bulls

Originally posted by Pit Chick Exactly. The provokation could have been something as simple as one of the dogs wanting to be petted before the other and boom, the man is in the middle of a dog fight. Wonder what the reproductive status of the dogs were?

That's a very good point. Dogs won't attack for "no reason" People may not see the reason as it could be something that could have been brewing in the dogs minds for months. Ive noticed that if you get a group of dissimilar breeds together, even the tinest things could send them off in a tizzy. I've seen even the most copasetic dogs get into scraps. Different breeds do think differently and who knows what could have been going on with the dogs before the guy arrived. (A fight, one of the dogs in heat etc)

IMO, if they aren't YOUR dogs, you ALWAYS use caution when dealing with them, even if you think you "know" them well. It's sad that four animals had to be destroyed, but no one knows for sure what set them off except for the person who was unfortuneatly killed in the incedent.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Fatal Dog Mauling...NOT Pit Bulls

Originally posted by DJFyrewolf36 but no one knows for sure what set them off except for the person who was unfortuneatly killed in the incedent.

Even he may not have known. Like you said, it could have been something brewing......he may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am still upset that these dogs were just allowed to wander.

The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world. - Dr. Paul Farmer

Very sad. It's hard to know what caused things to go the way they did, but dogs that wander around unsupervised in a pack together like that, especially if unaltered, can be a recipe for disaster. If one dog bites/attacks, the instincts of the others kick in to join their comrade in the fight. It's a very basic instinct, the same one that drives dogs to protect their owners when they perceive them as being under attack.

There was a rumor floating around that there was a female in heat with the pack but I saw that on a different forum. Does anyone know for sure? Knowing that would explain a few things about the attack.

You know, this case is not setted yet & the four dogs remain
the the county animal shelter.A local tv station said tonight that
the police are considering charges against the next door neighbor
of the dog owners home. The police investigating this are not
giving out a lot of info yet. This sounds very strange to me.

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I disagree that dog attacks are always provoked. You know how many newborn babies are attacked and/or killed by dogs? Even while sleeping? A dog does not need to be provoked in order to attack someone, just as people don't.